Chapter III: On the Platform
by Squirrel Patronus
Summary: Sirius meets James for the first time. Wendy, Waldimar, Pandora and Winifred belong to me (as does Margaret and her family) all other characters belong to J.K. Rowling.


"Would you like me to carry those for you, Madam?" The porter touched his cap and looked at the imposing woman in the dark grey robes. Walburga frowned.

"Well, I'm certainly not going to carry them, and my son isn't capable." The porter flushed and waved his wand over Sirius' trunk and the cage containing Isis, the snowy owl.

Sirius watched as his father tipped the porter. Orion's face was grim. Who could blame him? His wife had been in a foul mood ever since the family had stepped out onto Platform 9 ¾.

"Mudbloods," Walburga muttered. "Disgusting. They have absolutely no sense of propriety. You would think that you were watching dogs coupling in public."

Sirius stared at the objects of her derision. A young couple in their late teens was stealing a few moments alone together. The young man was tall, with long blond hair and the stubbly beginnings of a beard. He was dressed in a short-sleeved shirt and khaki trousers, not the traditional wizard robes. The girl was also blonde, and was dressed in abbreviated shorts and a red halter top. She was clutching her Hogwarts robes in her left hand while she stroked the young man's cheek with her right. His left hand rested on her hip while his right hand stroked the smooth, creamy skin of her exposed back. Sirius watched fixedly as the two leaned towards each other for a deep kiss.

"When I was a student such behavior would not be tolerated!" Walburga fumed. "Then again there were fewer Mudbloods polluting the place with their vile..."

"Enough, Walburga! Not here!" Orion glared at his wife. He had no love for Mudbloods, but there was a time and place for such open criticisms. Sirius flinched. His family was always so concerned about keeping up appearances. They were all elegantly dressed in traditional wizard robes, even his younger brother, Regulus, who was pouting about the attention Sirius was receiving.

"I want to go to Hogwarts with Sirius! I don't want to go home!" he whined. Kreacher the house elf patted him on the arm. He was devoted to the younger Black son. Sirius was uncertain if the foul creature had true feelings of affection for the boy or if he was putting on a pretentious show for Walburga, who had threatened to nail his head to the wall if anything happened to her precious child.

"You'll write to me, won't you Sirius?"

Sirius gave Regulus a hard stare. In the past year Regulus had transformed into Walburga's little spy. He was the one who had found the muggle comic books and motorcycle magazines in Sirius' room and turned them over to their mother. It was he who had told Walburga and Orion that Sirius had befriended a half-blood, who was the source of the muggle contraband. Sirius' hand went up to his right cheek where his mother had delivered the stinging slap.

"I'll write if I have the time," he said shortly. Regulus' face fell. Sirius felt a momentary twinge of regret. He had not meant to hurt his brother, but it was becoming more difficult to discern if Regulus was still his beloved comrade in mischief or his parents' pure-blood disciple who would sing out "Toujours Pur" when he passed the family coat-of-arms.

"Toujours Pur." That phrase had been repeated so many times during his childhood that Sirius was frankly sick of it. Walburga had gone over the family tree painted on the wall with her two sons until they had memorized each and every pure-blooded family member's birth and death dates, as well as the individual's personal history. It was deadly boring.

"Pay attention, Sirius!" his mother had snapped at him. "You cannot know yourself unless you are familiar with your ancestors. Their stories are important. You should model yourself after Phineas Nigelus, who was a great man. You should learn to avoid the mistakes of those who brought disgrace to the most noble House of Black!"

At this point Walburga would point to dark burn marks on the tapestry, and lecture on in her harsh voice how this one was blasted off the family tree for marrying a Mudblood, and how that one was cast out of the family for being a non-magical Squibb. Regulus listened with rapt attention. Sirius struggled to cover his ennui. Privately he found the stories of the rebellious outcasts to be more interesting than those of the more esteemed members, like Phineas Nigelus. He had been the last Slytherin Headmaster at Hogwarts and during his tenure had unsuccessfully tried to put limits on the number of Muggle-born students admitted there.

"Ah, there's Greengrass. I have a few matters that I need to discuss with him concerning my investments at Gringotts." Orion turned to Sirius. "Good luck to you, son."

Orion shook hands with Sirius and disappeared into the milling crowd.

"Just like him to disappear like that," Walburga muttered.

Sirius stared off into the crowd, refusing to look his mother in the eye. That would have only brought on trouble. He watched as a stout couple embraced and kissed a plump girl dressed in pale blue robes. Her little brothers presented her with a box. She opened it up and gasped at the large toad inside.

"He's all yours, Margaret," the older boy said excitedly. "Sam and I bought him for you! His name is Broderick!"

A pet toad. Well, that certainly wouldn't contribute to the girl's popularity. His brother would never have presented him with such an awful gift. In fact, Regulus had not given him anything at all as a send-off gift. Sirius also knew that his parents would not be sending him off with hugs and kisses. That was not proper in public. He tried to remember when his mother had last kissed him, but he could not.

"Hello, Walburga." A deep voice greeted his mother. Sirius looked up to see a tall, thin man dressed in black robes. He was followed by a petite, curly-haired woman and two little girls. Undoubtedly rich, pure-blooded friends of his mother. Boring.

"Hello, Waldimar, Pandora." Walburga greeted the man with a warm smile and gave a brief nod to his wife. She turned to address Waldimar, ignoring Pandora.

"I certainly am surprised to see you here, Waldimar Nott. You don't seem to get out much."

"My job prevents me from socializing," Waldimar replied. "However my younger daughter will be attending Hogwarts and I felt that it was my duty to see her off."

"That is wonderful! Our son, Sirius is also beginning his first year." Walburga glanced at Sirius, who stepped forward and shook hands with Mr. and Mrs. Nott. Mrs. Nott's hand was warm and smooth. Mr. Nott's fist completely enveloped Sirius' hand and the force of his handshake caused the boy to wince.

"These are our daughters, Winifred and Wendoline. Winifred will be entering her third year, Wendy will be starting her first," Mrs. Nott said in her soft voice.

"Hello, Sirius, it is good to meet you. Isn't this exciting?" Wendy exclaimed.

Sirius gave Wendy a cursory glance. She was skinny and gap-toothed. If his parents thought that he would befriend her they should think again.

"Hello. Yes, it certainly is," he responded shortly. He turned his gaze away from her.

"I am so glad to see you, Waldimar," Walburga said. "I hope that you have thought seriously about gaining a spot on the Board of Governors. Hogwarts could certainly use a strong pure-blood advocate. I have never seen so much Mudblood filth before! I'm not surprised, considering that Dumbledore is the Headmaster! Has the school truly lowered its standards? I hate to think of the negative influence that it will have on our children!"

"Alas, dear Walburga, I have no spare time to devote to such a demanding position," Waldimar replied. "I can assure you, however, that we have friends on the Board who have taken our interests to heart. I have spoken with them personally, and have let them know of my concerns. I told them that I would be very disappointed if they did not take my concerns seriously."

Waldimar smiled a thin smile, but his dark eyes remained hard and unblinking. Sirius felt a shiver go through his body. The man's eyes reminded him of a reptile.

"Well, I am happy to know that there is another parent who understands the importance of maintaining a pure-blood majority at Hogwarts," Walburga said, unruffled by the man's words.

The Hogwarts Express let out a shrill whistle.

"Hurry girls! Have a wonderful year! I am so proud of both of you!" Pandora hugged and kissed her daughters who ran towards the train. Waldimar stared out at the crowd, ignoring his daughters' departure.

"You'd better board the train now, Sirius." Walburga took his chin in her hand and tilted his face up to meet her eyes. "Do not disgrace me!"

"Do not disgrace me!" Was that all that she had to say? Sirius gave his mother a hard stare.

He boarded the train. The corridors were crowded with students who were jostling each other as they sought out seats in the cars. The train gave a lurch and Sirius grabbed the edge of a doorway to prevent a fall. He sat down on an empty seat. The only other occupant was leaning half-way out the window, shouting goodbye to his parents.

"Bye Mum! Bye Dad! Don't worry-I'll write to you tomorrow! I'll see you at Christmas!"

The boy sat down across from Sirius. He was thin, with unruly black hair. He wore glasses and was dressed in wizard robes, but he was wearing muggle shoes. Sirius stared. They were canvas high-topped shoes with rubber soles. The boy grinned at him.

"You like my trainers? My dad's friend has a muggle brother-in-law whose company distributes these. I can have him get you a pair if you like. They are so much better than the brogans that wizards wear! Comfortable and quiet. No one can hear you coming or going!" The boy laughed. Sirius smiled and laughed as well.

"I'm James Potter," the boy held out his hand. He was still smiling. He had a long nose which made his hazel eyes look bigger. They were bright and friendly.

"Sirius Black." Sirius shook hands with James.

"Now that's a name!" James remarked. "Are you Sirius like the bright dog star in the sky?"

"That's me."

"I hope that you aren't too serious, Sirius." James laughed. Sirius also laughed. It was an old joke, and one that he usually did not find funny, but the boy's good humor was infectious.

"Do you play quidditch?" James asked.

"A bit." Sirius responded. "I live in London and it's hard to find a place to practice without attracting Muggle attention."

"I play all of the time!" James said. "I think that it is so unfair that they won't let us try out until second year! I mean, really! If you can play well why sit out a year? My father bought me the latest model Nimbus for my last birthday! He said that if you want to play well you should only have the best! I hate to think of it sitting for a year in the shed! Do you follow any teams? I'm a Puddlemere United fan! They had an awful year, but I think that switching Hollingshead from Keeper to Chaser will make a difference next season!"

As James prattled on about the high and low points of the Puddlemere United season the door to the car opened and two other students entered. Sirius would not have noticed them if it had not been for a stale, greasy odor which permeated his nostrils. He looked up at the boy and girl who sat across from them.

The girl was weeping. She had thick, dark red hair and was dressed neatly in a pretty cotton dress with matching socks. Her shoes looked new. The smell had not come from her.

The boy was skinny and sallow. The first thing that Sirius noticed was his large, hooked nose. The boy's black hair hung in limp greasy strands. He was whispering in earnest to the girl, apparently trying to comfort her.

Sirius stared at the boy in amazement and disgust. The smell that wafted from him was the smell of grease, unwashed clothing and neglect. He had seen this boy before. Maybe not this exact boy, but others like him. He had seen him pressing his nose against the glass of a Diagon Alley teahouse, drooling at the wares that the well-heeled patrons were enjoying. He had seen him hiding in the shadows between buildings, clothes too large or too small for him, shivering against the cold winds because he didn't have a proper coat. He had seen him in the triage unit of St. Mungo's. Walburga had brought Sirius there last summer when he had mixed and drunk some of her practical potions after Regulus had dared him. His skin had turned blue and his irises had turned red.

Another family was also in the waiting room. Sirius could not tell who the patient was. The three little boys were unwashed and unkempt. Their hair was greasy and knotted, their clothes unwashed and tattered. A large woman, presumably their mother, sat on the bench. Her robes were patched and she was sporting a black eye.

"Shut up!" she barked at the unruly boys.

"Don't stare, Sirius," Walburga hissed. "Those people are trouble. A disgrace to the magical community. That is what happens to children when their parents don't care about them."

The irony of her words was not lost on him. Sirius knew that his parents did not care about him. He was well-dressed, well-fed and well-cared for, but only because they needed to keep up appearances. In the end it was only class status that separated him from this miserable boy who was now smiling encouragingly at the redheaded girl.

"You'd better be in Slytherin," he said, smiling. His teeth were crooked and yellow.

"Slytherin?" James stopped talking about quidditch and stared at the boy and girl. His eyes narrowed in distrust.

"Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked Sirius.

Sirius was taken aback. What was wrong with Slytherin? He frowned at James.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin," he replied.

"Blimey, and I thought you seemed all right!" James exclaimed. He looked surprised.

Sirius thought about the Slytherin tradition in his family. It was the House which favored pure-bloods, the House which he was expected to join to honor the most noble House of Black. The House of his parents who did not care about him. Toujours Pur. That was what mattered to his family. Well, the hell with that!

"Maybe I'll break the tradition." Sirius smiled at James. "Where are you heading if you've got the choice?"

James drew an invisible sword from an invisible sheath.

"Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart! Just like my dad," he said proudly. The boy who sat across from them gave a disparaging snort. James turned on him angrily.

"Got a problem with that?" he asked.

"No," the boy said, but his black eyes glittered and there was a slight but definite sneer on his face. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-"

"Where're you hoping to go, seeing that you're neither?" Sirius interrupted. He stared at the boy with loathing. Who did this greasy git think he was?

James roared with laughter. The redheaded girl flushed and stood up. She glared at James and Sirius.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." She walked past James and Sirius with her nose in the air.

"Ooooo..." James laughed.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment," Sirius mimicked the girl in a high, lofty voice as she passed by. James stuck out his foot to trip greasy Severus as he made his way out of the compartment, but the boy side-stepped him.

"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called out after him. The name just spilled out of his mouth. He and James stared at each other for a moment, then exploded into howls of laughter.

"Snivellus! Merlin's beard, that is perfect!" James roared as he slapped his leg.

Sirius laughed as well. He had only met James a few minutes ago, and already he felt more relaxed and comfortable with him than he did with his own brother. James liked and disliked the same things that he did. James was smart and funny. James liked him for the person he was, not because of the family that he came from.

Sirius pulled a pack of cards out of his pocket.

"Do you play exploding snap?"

"Ha! Be prepared to be smoked!" James cried. He pulled three chocolate frogs out of his bag and placed them on the seat between them.

"Let's make the game more interesting. I'll wager you three chocolate frogs. "

"You're on! I'll wager three chocolate frogs and a bag of Every Flavored Beans!" Sirius began dealing the cards. He felt relaxed and happy. He was beginning a new life at Hogwarts, his own life apart from his family. It felt wonderful.


End file.
